Steering post for automobiles



IN VENTUH Fil sdhct. 27, 1924 G R DERR STEERING POST FOR AUTOMOBILESAug. 4, 1925.

Patented Aug. 4, 1925.

UNITED STATES GUY a. 12mm, or saura maneaarm, canno STEERING POST FORAUTUMOBILEQ.

Application filed October 27, 1924. Serial No. 748,225.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. that I, GUY R. DERR, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Santa Margarita, in the county of San Luis Obispo and Stateof California, have invented a new and useful Steering Post forAutomobiles, of which the following is a specification. 1

The present invention relates to improvements in steering posts forautomobiles, and its particular object is to provide a steering postthat will be more convenient to handle than the steering 0st ordinarilyused in the present motor ve icle. It is particularly proposed for thispurpose to provide a steering post arranged horizontally with thesteering wheel at the end thereof disposed in a vertical plane, andallowing the driver to manipulate the wheel while his elbows restagainst his body, the vertical position of the wheel allowing the latterto be handled by merely pushing upward on one side and pulling strai htdownward on the other side. One 0 the advantages of this arrangement isthat itallows the driver to hold his arms in the position which comesmost natural to most people and a further advantage is that the steeringwheel which usually, particular] in large cars, obstructs a portion ofthe fiel of vision can be disposed in such a manner as to be clearlybelow the latter field. It is further proposed to arrange the steeringpost in such a manner that it is extensible and allows the driver topush the steering wheel forward toward the dashboard of the motorvehicle when he wishes to leave the machine orto enter the same while,when seated, he may draw the wheel toward his seat into a position whereit is most convenient to handle. Further objects and advantages of mydevice will appear as the specification proceeds.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure 1 shows an assembly arrangement of my steeringmechanism arranged in a motor vehicle.

Figure 2 a longitudinal section through the steering post.

Figure 3 a longitudinal section through a steering post of a modifiedform.-

Figure 4 a transverse section taken along line IV-IV of Figure 2.

Figure 5 a section taken along the same form of the invention, it shouldbe understood that various changes or modifications may be made withlnthe scope of the claims hereto attached without departing from thespirit of the invention.

Of the automobile 1 only the front part 1s shown including a portion ofthe frame 2 resting on the springs 3 which latter are supported bywheels 4. A seat 6 is arranged a convenlent distance behind thedashboard 7 and a suitable bracket 8 is supported on the frame in frontof the latter board. The braclret 8 supports two vertically alignedbearings 9 in which is revolvably mounted a vertical shaft 11 terminatin1n a bevel gear 12 and at theamttom in a bevel gear 13. The lattermeshes with the bevel-gear 14 mounted coaxially with the steering arm 16which latter manipulates the tie bar 17 connected with the steeringknuckle of the motor vehicle of conventional construction and,therefore, not shown in the drawing. The upper bevel gear 12 meshes witha bevel gear18 on the shaft 19 supported in a bearing 21 forming partofthe braclret 8 and in a sleeve 22 slidable in a bearing 23 associatedwith the board 24 suspended from the windshield 26.

The shaft 19 is disposed in a horizontal position and extends lengthwiseof the bod of the vehicle. The tube 22 which is sli able on the shaft 19and is held against r0- tary motion by inner ribs 20 riding inregistermg grooves 20 of the shaft, has a steermg wheel 27 secured tothe rear end thereof and may be slid backward and forward on the shaft19 between the full line position and the dotted line position shown inFig 100 re 1 so that in one position it is convenient to handle for thedriver seated on the seat 6 while in the dotted line position it doesnot interfere with the driver entering the car or leaving the same. 7

Means are provided in combination with the extensible steerin post forlocking the tube 22 in any positlon desired. For this purpose I providea rod 28 sup orted in the hub 29. of the steering w eel and at the top Iheld against endwise motion relative to the wheel by the collar 33confined between the' end of the tube and the hub of the steerin wheel.The front end of the rod exten s into a bore 34 of the shaft 39 andcarries a disk 36 coextensive in diameter with the bore. The disk 36 isrecessed as shown at 37 in Figure 4 and when this recess is aligned witha row of projections 38 in the shaft, it allows the rod 28 and with itthe tube 22 to slide freely relative to the shaft 19. When the rod 28 isturned, however, by means of a handle 39, the disk is made to enter oneof the spaces between the projections 38 and interlocks with the twoadjacent projections so as to prevent endwise motion of the rod and thetube 22.

It should be understood that there are many difi'erent ways of renderingthe steering post extensible and a second form 1s illustrated in Figures3 and 6. In the latter case the tube 41 is made stationary and has abevel gear 42 meshin with the bevel car 12 secured thereto, w ile thehollow s aft 43 is slidable in the tube 41. To hold the hollow shaftagainst revolving motion relative to the tube 41, lines of projections44 extending inwardly from the tube are made to ride in registeringgrooves 46 in the outer face of the hollow shaft 43. A rod 47 secured tothe steering wheel in the manner previously described relative to therod 28 has a disk 48 at its frontend made 00- extensive with thedimensions of the hollow shaft 43 and rovided with a notch 49 whichlatter is ma e to register with one of the grooves 46 and in that caseallows of endwise motion of the hollow shaft 43 but which may also beturned so that the disk interlooks with two adjacent projections 44 ofthe tube 41. I

The manner of using my steering st will be readily understood from the fi egoing description. Normally the .sleeve 22 of Flgure 1 is pushed intothe most forward position indicated in dotted lines and then interferesvery little with the driver entering the car or leaving the same. Afterthe driver has taken his seat, he pulls the steer ing wheel backward toany place that is most convenient for manipulatin the same and hethereupon turns the hand e 39 whereby he looks the steering wheel inthat particular position. Any rotary motion of the steermg wheel isimparted through the bevel gears 18 and 12 and the bevel gears 13 and 14to the steering arm 16 and the tie bar 17 which latter actuates thesteering knuckles This arrangement allows the driver to hold his arms inthe most comfortable position, it places the steering wheel so as not tointerfere with the field of vision and it allows the same to bemanipulated by a straight downward pull on one side of the steeringwheel and a straight upward push on the other side.

- I claim:

1. A steering device for a motor vehicle comprising an extensible postconsisting of two telescoping sections held a ainst rotation relative toone another, a and wheel at the rear end of one of the sections and arod within the two telescoping sections having means thereon fornormally locking the sections against endwise motion but allowing ofsuch motion when the rod is revolved into a predetermined position.

2. A steering device for a motor vehicle comprising an extensible postconsisting of two telescoping sections, longitudinally alinedprojections associated with one of the sections adapted to ride in aroove in the other section and a rod held y the latter section againstlongitudinal motion having a disc thereon made for normal engagementwith the projections of the other section for preventing relativeendwise motion of the sections, but notched to ride over the projectionswhen the rod is turned into a predetermined position.

GUY R. DERR.

